# Three Tankers of Russian Diesel Are Crossing the Atlantic as Trump's Deal Draws a Legal Fight in Congress; a Former Treasury Official Says the President Has the Authority

About 140,000 metric tons are on the way, with arrivals expected Nov. 7 to 11. Sen. Blumenthal wants two shippers to recall cargoes. A sanctions lawyer says a U.S. license is different from lifting the 2022 ban.

- Section: [Economy](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/economy/)
- Published: 2026-10-28
- By: RightNewsRightNow Staff
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/articles/russian-diesel-tankers-head-for-us-ports-legal-authority-blumenthal-letters-paner-fox-news/

The first cargoes under President Trump's fuel deal with Moscow are nearing U.S. ports, and the legal argument over them is heating up, Fox News reports. This follows our earlier report on the first tanker.

The ships. Three tankers carrying Russian diesel, about 140,000 metric tons in total, are crossing the Atlantic. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said Tuesday a fourth is due to leave Russia on Oct. 28. Fox lists them this way: the Malta-flagged Agioi Fanendes, about 40,000 metric tons, signaling New York with an estimated arrival of Nov. 7; the Talisman, expected Nov. 9, which Fox says is sanctioned by the U.S., U.K. and EU; and the Leruo, signaling an East Coast arrival around Nov. 11, sanctioned in 2025 by the EU, U.K. and Canada over alleged deceptive shipping practices.

The deal. Under an Oct. 9 agreement, Washington authorized certain Russian diesel imports and Moscow agreed to release 300,000 metric tons to global markets, rising to 500,000 in November and potentially 1 million a month after. Fox says the administration did this to ease diesel prices amid supply disruptions tied to the Iran war and Ukrainian strikes on Russian refineries.

The legal case for the president. Jeremy Paner, a partner at Hughes Hubbard & Reed and a former Treasury sanctions official, told Fox the claim that Trump broke the 2022 Ending Importation of Russian Oil Act "is actually not founded in law, so the president certainly has the authority in this case to provide the authorization." He said the action "did not lift or remove or waive the underlying prohibition," but authorized specific transactions, and "a license does not get rid of a prohibition. It's simply allowed." He said U.S. sanctions do not stand in the way of these three ships even though one is U.S.-sanctioned. He warned the U.S. authorization does not protect foreign companies from EU, U.K. or Canadian sanctions, which is "where it gets complicated."

The opposition. Lawmakers argue the administration cannot get around the 2022 law without Congress. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., sent letters to Eastern Mediterranean Maritime Limited and PetroVietnam demanding they recall tankers bound for the U.S., arguing Treasury's General License No. 135 cannot override the ban, and asking for details by Oct. 31. In an October letter to banks, fuel distributors and port authorities in New York, New Jersey and along the Texas Gulf Coast, lawmakers warned of possible investigations and demanded they preserve records by Oct. 28. Paner said he is "confident that Congress is going to investigate."

Moscow's view. Novak said it was "surprising to see the stance taken by Democrats," whose actions he said were not in Americans' best interests.

Note for readers: the arrival dates are estimates from ship signals. The legal reading is one lawyer's, as given to Fox, and has not been tested in court.

## Source

Original reporting: [Fox News](https://www.foxnews.com/politics/russian-diesel-tankers-close-us-ports-trump-putin-deal-triggers-legal-showdown)